Emma is 13 months old. I know that when babies are little they can suffocate, so you're not supposed to put anything in bed with them except maybe a very light blanket. Well, with winter coming up, I'm just wondering is it okay and safe to start putting a little thicker blanket on her? When does the whole bedding thing start to...like pillows, sheets, comforters? This is my first, so I really don't know?
Thanks, Holly

By Colette on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 02:06 pm:

I never used a pillow or a comforter in the crib. It's probably ok to put a thicker cotton crib blanket on her. Once they are in a regular bed you can use all the other stuff.

By Boxzgrl on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 02:35 pm:

DD gets blankets, pillows, stuffed animals; whatever she drags in with her. I'm not worried about it. She will be 17 months on the 22nd.

By Emily7 on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 03:25 pm:

My ds used a blanket until he went into a toddler bed. My dd just uses a blanket in her crib.

By Trina~moderator on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 03:53 pm:

Blanket sleepers are great. When really cold I put my kids in a onesie under a blanket sleeper and they had their baby blanket. We didn't use pillows or comforters until they transitioned out of the crib at about 2.

By Mommyathome on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 04:25 pm:

Ditto Trina on the blanket sleepers and onesies. That's exactly what we did We still do the blanket sleepers and undershirts for my kids even though they are older now (almost 3, 5 and 6)
That way I worry less about them getting uncovered at night and getting a chill. I rest well knowing that they are sleeping warmly in the wintertime.

By Colette on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 04:26 pm:

I love the blanket sleepers that have the little zipper guard on the top to protect little chins from getting poked with a zipper.

By Kate on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 04:30 pm:

Blanket sleepers aren't what they were when *I* was little! They're really not very thick or warm, IMO. I always put the girls in undershirts, full thermal underwear over that, and then blanket sleepers. They never keep their covers on. The zipper guard is hard to find these days, too!

By Tunnia on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 04:55 pm:

I always put mine in blanket sleepers too and every year I still buy them a couple for really cold nights (they are 4 and 8). They are their favorite jammies.

In answer to the original question - I gave my dks a pillow, top sheet, and heavier blankets when they moved from the crib to a toddler bed (I put the pillow on the floor when they were in bed to cushion the falls for the first several months) and then they got the thick comforters when they moved from the toddler bed to a real bed.

By Imamommyx4 on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 09:35 pm:

My dd started using one of her stuffed animals as a pillow at about 16 mo. So I got one of those small and not very thick pillows and that suited her fine until she moved up to her big bed. Even in her big bed I still use the thinner pillows. And I remove unnecessary pillows and toys after she goes to sleep.
She's always been hot natured until now and wouldn't sleep under anything very heavy so mostly she used the bigger fleece blankets. But in the process of giving her a big girl room we bought a comforter with the Disney princesess on it and that is the bomb! She will NOT sleep under anything else now.
But basically I don't thing age matters as much as size and stength. Young babies have a flexible neck that a pillow would cut off their airway. And until a baby is big enough and strong enough to push something off of their face or their body out from under it, pillows and extras shouldn't be in their bed. But even at 4 1/2 for dd, I'm still a little paranoid about it because she sleeps so hard.

By Feona on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 05:33 am:

We used the blanket sleepers. They toss the covers anyway so I think those are better.

By Hdelfuego on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 08:22 am:

I might sound dumb, but what exactly are blanket sleepers? Are they those fleece sack looking things with no arms and a hole for the head? I think Emma would get mad about not being able to stand up easily. Am I wrong? What if she gets too hot? We do live in Baton Rouge, LA. I saw what I think yall are talking about in Babies R Us yesterday, but I didn't think she would be able to walk with it on. She is 13 months. Also, when did your kids go to a toddler bed, and do you know a guard rail that fits on toddler beds? The only ones I've seen go in between a box spring and mattress for a larger bed. Thanks a million, Holly

By Fraggle on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 09:00 am:

I let my girls have a blanket when they turned one. Not a comforter type one, though. One of the concerns with kids over one is the fact that they can use blankets and such to make a little pile to climb up on and try to escape from the crib. We also used the blanket type sleepers with the feet though, too. Usually I would put on a pair of thin cotton pajamas underneath if it was going to be cold (but we live in Maine -it really gets cold here.) My girls came out of their crib around 2. They both moved right into a regular bed.

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 09:42 am:

Holly, Here is a blanket sleeper. Very popular up here in New England but probably too hot for Louisiana! They are made out of polar fleece.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 09:53 am:

I used a Fisher-Price guard rail on a toddler bed. It worked fine. Emily went into a toddler bed about the time she was two. The bedroom was small, so the toddler bed and my older daughter's big bed made a T. I thought that the big bed would keep Emily in the bed, until I saw her sleeping once with her body on the bed and her legs hanging off! (Poor thing!) The side rail worked great!

By Palmbchprincess on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 10:47 am:

I gave my kids a stuffed animal and a blanket at that age. At 20 months or so I made them each a small pillow and now that they are in their toddler beds, they have a blanket. pillow, and 2 stuffed animals, and they are 28 months. HTH

By Tonya on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 02:07 pm:

Jade is 8 months old and has 2 blankets in her bed she sleeps in those jammies that Trina showed not fleece but the thinner cotton but our house stays cold so she has 2 blankets and she likes them she cuddles them when she is asleep and when she is hot she throws them out of her bed to the floor.